To Catch a Shooting Star
by RosRua
Summary: Written for KakaSaku Holiday Contest over on LiveJournal.  Neither Kakashi nor Sakura are much about the holidays this year.  What will happen when circumstances put them together outside of Konoha and outside of a mission?
1. Chapter 1

_To Catch a Shooting Star  
Naruto: Kakashi / Sakura  
__Rating: M  
_

_As always, characters are lovingly borrowed for a short time and returned to Kishimoto-sama. Kakashi and Sakura are not my creation, sadly._

_This fic was written for Denilmo as part of the KakaSaku Holiday Exchange on Livejournal. She wanted something with Kakash and Sakura celebrating the holidays together... this is what came of that little prompt. Enjoy!_

_PART I of II - _

"We prepare our minds so that we can face the most terrible conditions in the world. Without preparation, my friend, we cannot go into battle without hesitation. Self doubt ensures defeat before the first punch is ever thrown." The memory of Chiriku's words echoed in Kakashi's mind. As he meditated, he turned them over and over, examining each one, then keeping it or rejecting it as too attractive to negative energies. The late afternoon sun warmed the Copy Ninja as he sat cross-legged on the tatami mat. The sliding panels of his guest house room lay open before and behind him. A gentle breeze stirred his wild silver hair, grown longer during his convalescence. The serene bubbling of water from the Fire Temple rock garden reached his ears. Still, he moved not a muscle, one with the meditation, life, the breeze, the water and the sun. Chiriku believed that meditation, when achieved correctly, made one whole and complete. Why then did he have a nagging sense that something very important was missing from his life?

Kakashi's mind touched on Bansai, the Fire Temple's oldest monk, now in retirement. When the monk heard Kakashi was brought to Fire Temple half dead and his mind nearly severed from reality, he came out of retirement to supervise Kakashi's healing. It was Bansai who bullied Kakashi into learning the higher arts of meditation known only to the Fire Temple monks, meditation that itself made his mind whole again. Kakashi grew to like the old monk, taciturn though he was.

Kakashi stood at the edge of the clearing looking back at the Fire Temple. He had a clean bill of mental and physical health and clearance from the Hokage to travel back to Konoha in time for the holidays. While he would welcome being in Konoha and especially in his own apartment, he really had no reason to savor the holidays since he didn't have any close friends or family. Well, there was his team, but as with everyone, eventually they went home to their own people. Kakashi sighed. He might just stop by the hot spring and spend some time there, skipping all of the holiday hype. Yep, he thought to himself, the hot spring and some Icha Icha sounded like a much-needed vacation. He would send a note to Tsunade-sama; he was sure she would understand. Cheered, his slouchy walk was almost jaunty as he headed for the hot spring.

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Kakashi hated wrinkled skin, which is why his first visit to the onsen was the longest. He intended to make his visits much shorter, and wander in the meadows and forests surrounding the town while he was there, perhaps doing a little light reading. For now, he would enjoy the quiet. While the cuts and bruises he'd received during his disastrous mission had largely healed, his body needed the downtime away from the Fire Temple, Konoha, and curious friends with too many questions. Since he was alone, he stretched forward in the water and slowly swam to the opposite side, enjoying the heat on his sore muscles. This onsen had been left in its natural hot spring formation rather than being enclosed or having a bath house built over it, as some did. He thought the beauty of the hot spring did as much to help people as the minerals in the water, not that he would confess that to anyone.

As Kakashi relaxed in the pool, his thoughts turned to the holiday season. The new year celebration was coming up, but before that, there was Christmas, which he didn't really have an opinion on, and something Tsunade told him Sakura's friend Ino had suggested, a "Forget the Year" party. Tsunade wrote that she was instituting this as a new tradition in Konoha. Kakashi doubted anyone else but shinobi would really get into it. Shinobi definitely had reasons to enjoy putting the past year behind them.

His eye half closed as he remembered getting caught between two Rock shinobi and two missing nin on his last mission as the four cast their jutsus simultaneously. His overloaded Sharingan could still have taken them out, but for the poisoned senbon to the back of his neck. Then the lone kunoichi of the group cast a genjutsu that had him moving in super slow motion while everything around him was sped up. Still, he had managed to kill three of the four and activate an emergency tag before blackness overtook him. It was a good thing he gave the scroll and key to Pakkun to deliver to Tsunade, just as he was fortunate that the tag he left on a tree outside the Fire Temple years ago was still active and hadn't gotten destroyed.

After Kakashi showered and put on comfortable clothes, he went in search of dinner. When he returned, a satisfied smile could be seen through the mask, as he set a very nice bottle of sake on the table. The shopkeeper was really most accommodating, and the broiled saury was some of the best he'd had. Too bad Sakura wasn't here to see the store; she would have drooled over the fresh vegetables and Kakashi would have carried home three paper sacks instead of the one.

Wait. Kakashi shook his head. What was he thinking of? No doubt Sakura would have liked that shop, but it was strange for her to drop into his mind like that. He poured a glass of sake and moved to sit on the comfortable couch provided in his hotel room.

Kakashi woke up with his head on his chest, Icha Icha open on his lap and a fierce crick in his neck. Rubbing his neck ruefully, he made a mental note not to fall asleep again like that. Unbidden, images of pink hair and mesmerizing green eyes came to mind. As Kakashi cleaned up, a ghostly touch played on his memory, making his whole body shiver. He stared at his uncovered face in the bathroom mirror, both eyes shocked open. In his dream, her slender hand had caressed his hair, sliding down to his uncovered face, and her lips, so warm and inviting, had dipped close to his as his he held her, his hands sliding down the smooth contours of her body, to caress her hips and draw her closer to him…

Kakashi leaned on the sink, his ragged breathing startling him. Some fresh air, he thought. That's the ticket.

Armed with a worn out copy of Lord Jiraiya's _Make Out Paradise_, a bento box he picked up the night before and some cold tea, Kakashi headed out to the edge of the forest. He knew where some boulders were that would be in the sunlight this time of day. The warmed boulders would feel so

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He'd drunk some of his tea, read not two pages in his trusty book, and found himself nodding off again. Comfortable and warm, he decided to completely relax. He was on vacation, after all.

The scent of strawberries invaded his dream, as a slender hand gently caressed his hair. Faint but familiar chakra was right in front of him. He opened his eyes to find Sakura kneeling next to him, her green eyes dancing and a genuine smile upon her lips. "How did I not sense you until now?" Kakashi asked, a little perturbed that she snuck up on him.

"I dampened my chakra because you looked so peaceful and I didn't want to startle you," Sakura said.

Kakashi just looked at her, emotions warring inside of him. He really didn't want to think about how talented she'd become and how he failed to sense her. Or conversely, how much rest he still needed.

"So what brings you way out here?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm harvesting herbs. We're almost out of the hips and this is the time of year a certain plant produces them, so Tsunade gave me leave to come," Sakura explained. "I didn't expect to find you here though. How are you feeling?"

"Thanks to the monks at the Fire Temple, I'm almost 100 percent," Kakashi replied. "The onsen is helping too."

"This is such a beautiful place," Sakura said. "I haven't really been here except to gather herbs."

"Would you like to see the town?" Kakashi asked. "I think there are some places you would enjoy."

"I would love it, especially since I couldn't help looking at all the beauty on the way here," Sakura exclaimed.

As he led the way to the town, he was astonished to find himself making small talk with Sakura. Well, she was talking and he was answering, but he was answering in more detail than he ever had. How did this happen?

He took her to the restaurant where he had the amazing broiled saury and Sakura found to her delight that they made a variety of delicate tempura; vegetables and tender sweetfish, shrimp and scallops. She even enticed him to try some of the sweetfish. He made a fishface (just for show, causing her to almost spew her water because all she could see through the mask was the outline of his lips looking weird), but he actually admitted to liking it. As they talked and laughed, Kakashi couldn't help but notice that the warmth he was feeling did not come from the sake.

Afterwards they went to the little grocery; Kakashi's excuse was he didn't have any food in the efficiency hotel room he rented. When they returned to the hotel room, they sat on the balcony overlooking the hot springs, silently enjoying the night with a drink of sake. Later, Sakura left to get them some hot tea since the night was beginning to turn chilly. When she returned, she handed his cup to him, and began to knead his shoulders.

"You'd better take my cup too, Sakura," Kakashi murmured. "I don't think I'm going to be good for much else."

Sakura giggled. "You always were a sucker for my shoulder rubs, Kakashi-s.."

An iron grip stalled her ministering hands. "Don't say it," he growled. "I am not that to you anymore, neither are you a student to me." Kakashi paused, and whispered, "Don't ruin this."

She crouched down next to his chair and looked over at him seriously. "Don't… ruin… what?" she asked softly.

Kakashi turned his head. Her eyes were level with his, green pools of inviting warmth. Lost in them, Kakashi gave in and pressed his masked lips to her full ones in a slow, tender kiss.

"That," he said, pulling back to see the effect on Sakura's face.

Sakura's eyes became more luminescent, and the color grew deeper, if that were possible. Kakashi waited for her response, his heartbeat growing louder in his ears by the moment.

As she gazed at him after the kiss, Sakura realized she'd never really studied Kakashi up close before. His skin was smooth, although she knew he had quite a few scars. He smelled wonderful, like sandalwood and pine, earthy and fresh. He made her feel whole, and free. She smiled at him, a slow smile at first, then with a warm chuckle reached out to smooth the unruly silver locks.

At the same time, Kakashi couldn't help but reach his hand out to touch the soft pink tresses with a look of wonder on his face. Her throaty chuckle had stopped his hand in mid-air, but it was soon captured by her other one and pressed against her cheek. Eyes wide, Kakashi sat still, waiting for Sakura's next move.

"Who would have thought it, huh, Kakashi?" Sakura asked in wonder. "That both of us…that our feelings would come out at the same time."

"How long have you felt, something, for me?" Kakashi asked softly.

"I think I first became aware of it about two years ago," Sakura said. "I realized I couldn't stand the thought of losing you, of not seeing your face, of not enjoying your presence and of not waiting to be with you again. I had no idea, and no hope, really, that anything would come of it. How about you, Kakashi?"

"It's hard to say, but it probably started when you became a jonin."

"That was three years ago!" Sakura exclaimed. "How …"

"What can I say, Sakura? Confidence – and amazing power – are sexy." Kakashi smirked, knowing what was likely to come next.

"You pervert!" Sakura laughed, play hitting him on the shoulder. "What were you thinking when you were watching those exams? Wait, I'm not sure I want to know."

"I could give you a demonstration," Kakashi suggested, voice low and eye dancing.

"Ah, well, maybe later," Sakura hedged. At Kakashi's playful woebegone face, she plopped herself in his lap, put both hands on either side of his face, and gave him another kiss. Kakashi's body went rigid and he hardly dared breathe, then his arms crept around Sakura, pulling her more firmly against his torso and adjusting her so she was more comfortable in his lap. Sakura cuddled into his arms and sighed long, which was echoed by Kakashi. They sat like that for a long time, silent, feeling each other's body heat and heartbeat.

By an unspoken agreement, when they turned in, Sakura slept in her shorts and a tank top and Kakashi slept in his boxers. Sakura reached for Kakashi's arm and pulled it towards her so she was nestling with her back against him. His only comment was, "If we wake up like this in the morning, you're likely to be surprised."

"I can deal," Sakura said. "You've dealt with my snoring long enough on missions." So saying, they fell asleep, each of them sleeping more soundly than they could remember.


	2. Chapter 2

_To Catch a Shooting Star  
Naruto: Kakashi / Sakura  
__Rating: M  
_

_As always, characters are lovingly borrowed for a short time and returned to Kishimoto-sama. Kakashi and Sakura are not my creation, sadly._

_This fic was written for Denilmo as part of the KakaSaku Holiday Exchange on Livejournal. She wanted something with Kakash and Sakura celebrating the holidays together... this is what came of that little prompt. Enjoy!_

Part II of II

Sakura's eyes began to flicker open from the most comfortable sleep when delicious scents made Sakura's mouth water and finished the job of getting her out of bed. Had she died and gone to heaven…again? She thought last night was heaven. Was he actually cooking for her?

After washing the sleep out of her eyes, she walked into the kitchenette. Kakashi presided over various pots and pans, everything neat, tidy and organized. "Just in time," Kakashi smiled, handing her a steaming mug of tea. "Have a seat."

"This is amazing. I didn't know you could cook like this," Sakura said as he set rice, tamagoyaki and miso soup on the table in front of her.

"My dad was actually a good cook," Kakashi said, sitting down with her. "Since it was just the two of us, he taught me and we traded off."

"I think that's the first time I've heard about your Dad, Kakashi. That's awesome." Sakura rolled her eyes in appreciation, as she enjoyed the delicate omelet and then the miso soup. "Oh my, this is delicious. I think I'm definitely getting the good end of this deal."

"Thank you. Just wait, you'll have your turn at cooking. Do you have plans for the holiday or can you stay awhile?" Kakashi asked. "I was thinking of taking bento today and heading up to some of the hot springs outside the town."

"Tsunade gave me leave for as long as I want, within reason," Sakura said. "I don't have any plans for the holiday; I really don't have anyone to go home to, and everyone else has plans with their family, with the exception of Naruto, who is spending it with Hinata."

"Well, then, it sounds like you and I are more similar than we thought. I think a day out would do us both good, and we can celebrate the holidays together, if you'd like," Kakashi offered.

"I can't think of anything I'd rather do, actually, than spend time here with you. This is magical, like being away on a true vacation in a foreign land, and I love every minute of it," Sakura said.

"Good, after we eat and clean up, we'll head out," Kakashi said. As he passed behind her, his hand caressed the back of her head. Sakura leaned her head back into the delightful touch and made a purring noise. His visible eye met hers in a smoldering glance and she knew this would be no ordinary picnic.

Following him into the kitchen to help, she wondered if it was as difficult for him to keep his hands off her as it was for her to behave. She didn't want to rush anything. He made it hard, though. Why did he have to have such nice muscles under that shirt? She paused, drying a pot lid, while her mind carried on a nice video having to do with said muscles.

"Sakura, I think that lid is dry now. Shall I clear up your thinking a little?" Taking the lid from her, Kakashi set it down on the counter, leaned in and kissed her. When he removed his lips from hers, he had to support her as she swayed. "Whoa, if you don't want me to carry you all the way there, you'd better go get ready so you can walk." Sakura still swayed as she went to pack a fresh change of clothes and find some shoes. She paused for a moment and asked herself, did Kakashi just giggle? The shorts and tank top she slept in would be fine for bathing in at the spring.

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The long trek to the spring became shorter by their conversation spiced with laughter. When they arrived, Sakura was pleased to find that the natural rock formation separated the cool water and waterfall from the warmer water of the hot springs. She splashed into the pool, surfaced from a shallow dive and flung the droplets of water from her hair. To Kakashi, the droplets refracted the light in an arc above her as she threw back her head, and made her look like a fantasy come to life. Looking at Sakura's wet hair, face and body, he smiled; a smile deeper than he'd smiled in years, that he felt came from beneath his heart. He realized that he wanted to experience the reality of that fantasy.

When she opened her eyes, Kakashi surfaced in front of her, only to disappear. Sakura yelped as her feet were yanked out from under her and barely had time to think, "Huh?" as she was pulled under. She stood up, sputtering, to find Kakashi some feet away, shoulders shaking with laughter. "Just you wait, Hatake!" she snarled. Then she stopped as she realized he still had the damned mask on. "When are you going to take that mask off? And don't tell me it matches your trunks," she teased.

"Oh yes, silly me. Let me take care of that." Kakashi's eye smiled as he hooked a finger over the mask and as Sakura held her breath, swiftly pulled it down and revealed another mask which was indeed light gray, with the Icha Icha symbol all over it.

"Ohhhh I can't believe I fell for that old trick you pulled on us when we were genin!" Sakura screeched. She stopped in mid-screech, then groaned loudly as she realized his shorts had a small shadow pattern of the matching symbol all over them. "Don't tell me there's Icha Icha _clothing _now too!"

"Um, yeah, well, Naruto inherited Jiraiya's publishing empire, you know, and he decided to begin merchandising. Naruto had them custom made for me."

"You really are his number one fan, aren't you," said Sakura, shaking her head in mock disbelief. "They are good stories, but I'm still interested in what's under that mask. Quit stalling," she insisted, her eyes narrowing playfully.

"Wait, I must have grabbed the wrong mask, this one's a two-layer. Here you go." Kakashi hesitated a moment at Sakura's confession to reading Icha Icha, raising his eyebrow and thinking this could make for some enjoyable times in the future. Then he pulled down the second layer …. to show another, lighter grey mask in its place. He made a pretend sound of irritation as he repeated the action, with the same result, two more times.

"I am so not paying any more attention to you!" Sakura snarled, turning her back on him and moving into the downpour of the waterfall.

"Perfect," Kakashi muttered. He moved quietly toward the waterfall and right up behind Sakura, removing the last piece of fabric from his face and placing his lips directly against her neck and his hands on her waist.

Sakura froze. Her body sensed the water beating down on them, then the part where there was no water, because of Kakashi's head leaning over her neck, but that didn't feel like wet fabric, as she expected. Her heart did a couple of flipflops and at that moment, Kakashi turned her around slowly. Sakura shut her eyes tightly so she wouldn't be disappointed, just in case he still wore a very thin mask.

To her shock, a pair of very nice lips met hers, hesitantly at first, then more fully. The chill of the pool disappeared. She opened her eyes and her line of sight slowly slid down from Kakashi's amused eye to the bridge of his nose, then down his nose, over his cheeks, his lips and finally his chin and neck.

"Well?" Kakashi asked, amused.

"Let's get out from under this waterfall," Sakura began, leading him by the hand. "I need to do some exploring." Kakashi laughed in wonder as Sakura tugged him along. Then his eyes grew wide as she turned around and her hands wandered his face, lightly, experimentally, as if she would memorize it by touch alone, while her eyes were green fire, and her lips followed her fingertips, leaving hot trails behind them.

When he could stand it no longer, he stilled her face with his hands and growled, "Now it's my turn." He felt her hands all over his back, alternately caressing then grabbing his skin with her nails as he soundly kissed her till she could barely stand and they were both slightly out of breath.

"You didn't really answer my question," Kakashi said, as he held her, Sakura's head resting against his bare chest.

"Can't you interpret?" Sakura asked playfully. At Kakashi's pout, she said, "Well, that's the closest you've ever come to Naruto's fishlips theory. As for the rest, I can understand part of why you keep your face hidden. Half of the village would be after you if they knew how handsome you were. But how come you didn't have a problem showing me?"

Kakashi took her hand and led her to where they left towels and bento and change of clothes. He picked up a large fluffy towel from the hotel and handed it to her, then began drying off with a second towel. "Well, it felt right, and I trust you," he began. "And I wanted you to see it," he ended simply.

They put their towels together on the soft grass. Kakashi lay down and leaned back on his elbows, patting the towel next to him in invitation. Sakura sat down next to him and they looked at each other, suddenly shy. A pink tinged fingernail hesitantly reached out and traced a line from Kakashi's chin down his chest and over his taut muscles. His skin twitched, and Sakura asked, laughing, "Ticklish?"

"Not that kind of ticklish," Kakashi answered. Sakura's heart sped up at his answer, but her hand continued down his side, and over his hip. She was determined to show him all that she had thought and dreamed about. Then Sakura slid a finger just under the waistband of his shorts, and his breath nearly left him.

"Sakura, do you…" he began.

"…know what I'm doing to you?" Her voice came in little gasps as she ran her hands up the broad planes of his back. "I know what this is doing to me, how my heart is about to beat out of my chest, and how I have wanted us for so long, Kakashi. Tell me you do, too."

Kakashi's hand caressed Sakura's shoulder, moving down the firm muscles, then crossing to trace her collarbone. Sitting up, he hesitated, slowly placing his hands under her tank top and waiting for her response.

Sakura's breathing increased, and she smiled at him, lifting her hands up over her head like a nymph.

Kakashi removed her tank top, inch by inch. His finger then carved a trail of desire from her chin, between her breasts, to her navel, his gaze not leaving hers. His hand cupped her full breast, the thumb delicately running over the generous swell, then reaching up to nudge the nipple, already erect.

"I have wanted this too," he whispered. He used his lips to define that further in another language neither one had to question.

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Bento forgotten, Kakashi and Sakura lost track of time as they explored each other and told silly jokes. It wasn't until Kakashi noticed Sakura's skin full of goosebumps that they realized how late it was. They decided to get dressed and forego the bento to return to the hotel room, get warm, and toast the holiday.

The sky was bright with stars against a beautiful marine blue night as they made their way back, hair mussed and wet towels around their shoulders. Kakashi's arm was around Sakura's waist, and she walked with her head leaning against him, head tilted back to look at the stars.

"Kakashi, do you ever wish on stars?" she asked.

"No, I never have. I always thought you had to wish on a shooting star, and I've never seen one when I tried to, so I gave up trying," he said.

"Oh, that's sad," Sakura said. "You should try looking for one again. They seem more beautiful when you're trying to see them than when you almost catch them out of the corner of your eye, but aren't sure if they were there at all."

Kakashi thought to himself that was how the majority of his life had been before tonight. It was like trying to catch a falling star out of the corner of his eye.

They arrived back at the hotel room and as Sakura took a hot shower, Kakashi made small sandwiches and put the leftover miso soup on the stove. He then took a quick shower while the soup was warming up.

They met in the kitchen, and laughed upon seeing each other similarly attired in short satin yukatas and long pants; Sakura in dark red edged in gold with faint outlines of cherry blossoms, and Kakashi in solid dark gray.

"I guess we had the same idea to be comfortable," Sakura said, taking her plate and going to sit before the open window. Kakashi came to sit beside her and they ate together, companionably. When they were finished, they stayed there, sipping sake, and Sakura leaned over against Kakashi, playing her fingers across his stomach through his open yukata.

"Careful there, you might get in trouble," Kakashi warned with a smile.

Sakura's answering smile was light, as she said, "Oh, yeah? I think you're all bluff." Before she could think, she was scooped up, carried into the bedroom and deposited on the bed.

Kakashi looked up after he untied his yukata to find she was already disrobed and watching him. He finished removing his clothes smoothly, drinking in the poetry of her body with his Sharingen swirling lazily.

"Why are you using the Sharingen, Kakashi?" Sakura asked.

"Because I want to remember this time forever," Kakashi said, "the time when my heart's desire came to me. You know, I'm not much on celebrations. But if I celebrated Christmas, you would be the best Christmas present ever." He continued, "As far as a Forget the Year party, I think I would like to," but was halted in mid sentence by a very naked pink haired angel crawling toward him, whose kiss reminded him of something. It was something he needed to kiss her again to remember.

"You are my heart, and I love you. I intend to repeat this time and time again so that we keep that memory fresh," Sakura whispered. "There are your shooting stars, Kakashi. Merry Christmas."

As he bent to kiss her again and make her his, fireworks blossomed in the night sky behind them, mirroring the joy in his heart. "I love you. Merry Christmas, Sakura," Kakashi said.


End file.
